PALAMI globalfc.ph
Reaping the rewards of playing more matches the past two years, the Philippines sustained its rise in the FIFA rankings, finishing the year on a record high of No. 127.
The Azkals also remained as the top-ranked team in Southeast Asia and climbed to 17th in Asia after vaulting six notches up in the rankings released recently.
Although they didn’t play any match this month, the Azkals still compiled 218 points on the strength of victories in the AFC Challenge Cup Qualifiers, the Philippine Peace Cup and the friendly match against Hong Kong last June.
“This is definitely a great way to end the year,” said Azkals manager Dan Palami, who is also the national teams’ committee chair of the Philippine Football Federation.
“We’re hoping to sustain the momentum next year as we participate in two important tournaments—the Challenge Cup finals and the AFF Suzuki Cup.”
The Azkals are seeking to qualify to the continent’s showpiece event, the AFC Asian Cup, for the first time when they see action in the Challenge Cup in May in the Maldives.